London Preview: Wrestling

Wrestling is as much a part of the Olympics as running, discus, and javelin. Whether or not one is a fan, it is, without question, a true Olympic sport. Am I a regular fan of wrestling? Heck no. But am I fan of Olympic wrestling? You better believe I am! I love watching this sport play out during the Olympic Games, and think about the Ancient Greeks doing something very similar in Olympia in front of thousands of cheering spectators.

Olympic wrestling is competed in two styles, and within those styles are various weight classes, which makes my head spin when I start reviewing all of them. Much like taekwondo, judo, and boxing, there are different medal events for the various weights of the competitors. Men’s wrestling has always been in the Olympics. Women’s wrestling first appeared in 2004.

My favorite of the two styles (Greco-Roman and freestyle) is without question Greco-Roman. It’s probably just the traditionalist in me. But I will say that I was awfully disappointed when Henry Cejudo, one of America’s freestyle gold medalists from Beijing, wasn’t able to make a comeback and compete in 2012. The United States, along with a slew of other nations, have strong chances to medal in London. How well I can keep up with all of them is another story.

I’m still warming up to women’s wrestling, and like in previous Olympics, the Japanese women are without question the ones to beat. As for men’s, to keep my head from more spinning, I’m gonna let SI.com do the talking.

Faster, Higher, Stronger.